Senators Collins, King Announce Nearly $150,000 in Funding to Prevent Substance Abuse in Central and Southern Maine
WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that three grants amounting to nearly $150,000 have been awarded to health centers located in Pittsfield, Bangor, and York. The funding, which was authorized through the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) that Senators Collins and King cosponsored, will help the health centers organize an effective response to the opioid epidemic through prevention, treatment, and recovery to create a lasting positive impact on lives affected by substance abuse.
“By supporting vital programs at our substance abuse centers, we can play a role in providing hope, recovery, and healing to our friends, family members, and loved ones who are struggling with addiction,” Senators Collins and King said in a joint statement. “These funds will help Maine’s hardworking medical professionals fight the opioid epidemic that is taking a devastating toll on communities throughout Maine.”
In 2017, there were a record 418 deaths from drug overdose in Maine, an 11 percent increase compared to the year before. Nationally, there were more than 63,600 drug overdose deaths in 2016.
The grant recipients are:
- Sebasticook Valley Health (SVH), which will receive $50,000
- The Bangor Region Public Health Advisory Board’s Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force, which will receive $49,791
- York Hospital, which will receive $50,000
